A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the character Gene Forrester goes through changes throughout the novel. At first, Gene first presented his friendship with Finny to be perfect, but it was then shown that Gene held jealousy against Finny. Gene is also shown changing from a boy to a man. Gene has learned a lot about himself and his friendship with Finny.

Early in the novel, Gene is an immature, judgmental boy. Gene admires Finny, but he's also has a rivalry with Finny. This is because he is jealous of all the attention Finny gets. Gene also assumes that Finny is always trying to plot against him; therefore, Gene devotes himself to his studies more than ever. This shows how Gene's rivalry with Finny gets the best of him, and he now feels that Finny is a better athlete and a better person than he. Gene had been denying his feelings of hatred towards Finny. Now all of his feelings come back to him, and he sees how terrible he really is.

At the end of the novel, Gene has changed. He has learned many lessons about himself. All of Gene's hatred fades away after Finny's fall. When Gene had put on Finny's clothes, is showed his desire to leave behind his own self and become Finny. Because of Gene's own insecurities, however, he can realize this love only after crippling Finny.